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Louisville Elementary students make recommendations on grain elevator's fate

By Kimberli Turner Colorado Hometown Weekly

Posted:
12/04/2012 04:56:40 PM MST

Louisville Elementary School fourth-graders recently learned that making decisions for a city is no easy task.

As part of the fourth-graders' civics unit, about 90 students from three classes split into groups to create recommendations for the Louisville grain elevator's fate.

The project was spearheaded by fourth-grade teacher Tiffany Boyd. She and Louisville city planner Sean McCartney brainstormed the project and decided it was important to tune the kids into a local issue.

"It was great to have that connection, something in their own community," she said.

In early November, a group of people -- including McCartney and city planner Scott Robinson, Louisville Historical Museum coordinator Bridget Bacon and Louisville resident Richard Wheeler -- presented the students with information about the grain elevator to help them decide if the structure should be saved or demolished.

Louisville Elementary fourth-grader Leah Humphrey, on Monday, Dec. 3, practices her portion of a speech about the Louisville grain elevator with group members Kate Walley, Carson Conley and Jack Bushong. These students, along with two other fourth-grade groups, will bring their presentations before the Louisville City Council Tuesday, Dec. 4. The project was spearheaded by LES teacher Tiffany Boyd and is part of the fourth-grade civics unit. (Kimberli Turner/Colorado Hometown Weekly)

The city planners took up opposing sides on why the structure should or shouldn't be saved and the students had to choose which side they wanted to defend.

"We had to make the decision by ourselves," said Noah Hubbard, 10, who represented a group that supported saving the grain elevator. "These guys really helped us."

Little did the kids know that the city took ownership of the building Nov. 15 after Louisville City Council earlier this year approved the city takeover of a $950,000 purchase contract for the historic structure that sits at 540 County Road in Louisville. The city is looking for a partner to rehabilitate and redevelop the property that includes the former Napa Auto Parts building.

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Boyd said that about two-thirds of the students wanted to save it, while the rest of the kids didn't think it was a good idea for the city to spend the money to do so.

After the students developed arguments and created posters to bolster their debate, they walked to Louisville City Hall on Nov. 14 and presented their recommendations inside the council chambers before a panel of judges. McCartney, Robinson and Wheeler gave the kids feedback afterward, along with Alicia Mahoney, a Louisville Library Trustee, and Dan Mellish of the Louisville Historic Commission.

Mayor Bob Muckle and councilors Hank Dalton and Emily Jasiak sat in on the presentations as well, Boyd said.

The city planners told the students about council's decision and the news was met with cheers and grumbling from the kids, depending which side they supported, Boyd said.

"Even though I was disappointed they didn't let us be in the real decision, I was happy it went the way I wanted it to," Hubbard said.

Fourth-grader Sophie Russ, 9, who also supported saving the structure, was pleased.

"I was excited and wondered what they'd turn it into," she said, adding that not all students shared the same sentiment. "My friend (wasn't happy) because she was against it. She was like, 'Oh man!'"

Dylan Carr, 10, was part of a group who did not support saving the structure, but said his peers put up some persuasive arguments.

"After I heard the all the speeches, I thought they were so good I changed my mind," he said. "There were good arguments on both sides."

Wheeler created a model grain elevator and each LES fourth-grader received a model kit to make their own miniature elevator, which was funded by the Louisville Historical Commission.

Boyd and fourth-grade teachers Jessica Lawrence and Karen Fohrman chose three groups of students to present their recommendations to City Council during the Tuesday, Dec. 4, meeting.

Boyd said next year's fourth-graders will examine another local issue for the civics unit because the students really got into it this year.

"It was neat because they were invested. Now they're curious and they want to know what will happen next," she said.

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